A Lot Can Happen At Boarding School (One Tree Hill FF)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A Tree Hill Raven always knows that the harder you want to avoid a person, the more likely you are to run into them.

After waking up with a bit of a headache, Haley pulled a sweatshirt over her auburn hair, slipped on a pair of Birkenstock clogs, and walked outside. The sun was shining, barely any of the mere fifteen kids left on campus were up, and she just wanted some time to think. Walking out the glass doors and around the ivy covered side of her dormitory, Haley made her way towards the swing, as it had become her custom over the past couple of days.

Taking a seat on the wooden swing, hanging plainly from the tree up above it, Haley felt the letter in her back pocket bore a hole into her. Although she had yet to read the letter, afraid of its contents, afraid of the feelings she knew it would contain, she carried it everywhere. Partially because she didn't want anyone else to find it and partially because deep down, she hoped her curiosity would give in. Time would only tell with that.

As she lightly swayed her legs, drifting forward and back, Haley began to think about the last night's happenings. Although she was sad she could not go home to California to enjoy it with her loving, yet dysfunctional, family, enjoying it with Jake had made it fun. The only thing however, that kept creeping up to her, surrounded by regret but it's center filled with relief, was the simple phrase, "I like Nathan too.."

She had said it, and as much as she wanted to regret it, it actually felt like a relief. Someone else knew. And that was how she stood... Jake knew, Nathan didn't, and she... well, she wasn't even sure of her emotions. Sure she liked, him, but deep down, she knew they had something more. Something that could possibly be lovevthat tended to come with a lot of baggage; at least in her case it came with baggage.

There was however, one thing she was certain of. No matter what her feelings or emotions or thoughts were at this moment, there was a figure walking towards her. A figure bouncing a basketball and a figure that very much resembled... Nathan?

And just like that, Haley was up and moving in the opposite direction faster than someone could say "I missed you."

Well, not just someone... Nathan Scott.

Sitting on her windowsill, Haley sat with her legs crossed, her pillow squeezed up against her chest. Outside the window, she watched Nathan's boyish figure dribble, shoot, then score, over and over again. Now, although it's nothing strange for Nathan to be out on the court, she wasn't expecting him back so soon. Students didn't need to be back for another three days and she was definitely not expecting him back so early.

And yet there he was, outside her window, minding his own business and looking excruciatingly hot while doing it. That's a lie though. Not the him looking hot part, but the minding his own business part. The fact of the matter is that he's waiting outside for her. To see her, to talk to her, and Haley knows that. She just doesn't know if she's ready. Heck, she was expecting to have three more days to debate on reading his tempting letter. But those plans were now changed because Nathan was back and he was waiting to talk, so now it was on to the next plan.

Avoid, avoid, avoid..

Jake was sitting at a table in the dining hall eating his breakfast when he saw Haley breeze in looking a bit overwhelmed.

"Did you know?" Haley questioned.

"Know what?" Jake asked, looking confused.

"That Nathan was coming home early. Like, today," she continued, taking a seat next to him while stealing a piece of bacon off his plate.

"Maybe," Jake replied coyly before getting hit in the arm by Haley. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Hmm... I don't know. You didn't think it seemed fit to tell me he was coming back early?"